The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1887-08-17

Now. there is old Bill Simkins; he don't
know enough to go in when it rains, but he
would be the last man in the world to ad-
NIT it, il he were asked about it. Bill has
been a renting farmer ever since knew
him, which has been now about twenty
years; and in all that time / have never
known him to do single smart thing. He
never raised good crop nor made good
trade in his life. He simply don't know
enough to work by the month under good
boss, let alone conducting a business for
himself. He sells his grain when he should
hold it, and, vice versa, holds it when the
market is up and prices booming. He
voted for Buchanan by accident, and
for every Democratic candidate for
President since, until the last cleo
ton, when he turned about voted the
Republican ticket, and of course got
left. And so he has stumbled on through
life, and has only kept out of the poor
house through the good management OF
his wife, who, in spite of Bills thick
headed stupidity has made living for the
family and kept Bill in "terbacker" ever
since they have been married. There is
however a difference of opinion among
some as to the nature of Bills trouble;
some say it's bad luck, others that he is
lazy but don't manage we'll; but / have
been studying his disease for long time,
and am convinced that it is clear case of
want of sense-nothing else.
Another case Old Dick Young, whose
farm adjoins ours. He is we'll off; has
made money. Has family of fve-all
grown up-three boys and two daughters.
You can go into old Dicks house and go
all over it from kitchen to garnet; and, al
though L am poor man, L will agree to
pay five dollars per yard for every yard of
carpet, of any kind, you can find on the
floors; the same price per volume for all
the books you can find, and so on pro rata
for any other evidences you can discover
i'll his household of the articles
the use and knowledge of
which go to make home cheerful and
comfortable, or its inmates wiser, hap
pier, and better. The boys are rough in
speech and manner, and because of their
ignorance and uncouth WAYS are stunned
by their neighbors, the sons of men Of
sense. They are social outcasts, and are
driven to seek companions among the
coarse and vicious, whose influence over
them has already made them the terror of
the community In which they live.
The girls-well, they are naturally more
refined and would if they had a chance
made good farmers wives. They are neat
and thrifty, and will, venture, when they
get into their own homes, make ample
amends for the comforts of which they
have been so long denied. A woman's ma
ture is to adorn and fix up things when she
has half chance: but in too many cases a
man won't do it, and half the time when he
wants to he cant for the simple reason
that he don't know how.
Men who bring up their families like old
Dick Young has his, are bright and shin
ing types of the class of people to which
this brief epistle is devoted, and are as in
correct and elliptical In their mental make
up as is the syntax in the first clause of
this somewhat complex sentence. My
honest opinion is that, taking these two
cases as pointers sort of criterion, as II
were, by which to be governed, that in time
you can pick out a fiIst-class fool on short
notice, and back your judgment to win
four times out of five. If you can't then
admit 1 have written this letter to no
purpose.
Trusting you will ponder over these
things, remain as ever, yours for sense,
UNCLE SAM.